Can anyone suggest some good 1 day itineraries for Tokyo?

Question

I'll be in Tokyo for about a week and I'm looking for recommendations for some good full day iItineraries for one of those days. I'll be traveling with my girlfriend and we typically just like to walk around and explore. Food recommendatons are welcomed as well. Since Tokyo can sometimes be a bit confusing any details on addresses or how to get there would be appreciated.

Answer 1

5:30am Hit Tsukiji (the biggest fish market in the world). See them auction enormous tuna. Wander thru the market.
7:00am Have sushi for breakfast in the inner market some where.
8:00am Hop on Hibiya line (subway) at Tsukiji Station and ride it to Kasumigaseki
8:15am Head north on Sakurada Street toward Sakuradamon.
8:20am When you cross the big street, be sure to glance to the left to see the Diet building. Then walk through Sakuradamon, one of the outer gates of the Imperial Palace.
8:30am Walk along, keeping to the left. The center of Tokyo, the most expensive city in the world, is an enormous complex where the Emperor of Japan, whose family has reigned for more than 1,400 years, now lives.
8:40am Pass the Nijubashi - double-decker bridge - this is in front of a fort. You can't actually see the real palace - the outer part of the palace is open to most people only twice/year.
9:00am Walk out and past Otemon (another gate/fort) in the direction of Tokyo Station.
9:15am Check out Tokyo Station, a Meiji period brick structure.
9:20am Tea break at a cafe near Tokyo station.
10:00am Board Yamanote line at Tokyo and ride it to Akihabara. Walk around and check out the electronics shops in Tokyo's electric town. If you want, try a maid cafe (instead of tea at 9:20).
11:30am Have lunch somewhere in Akihabara. Try something exotic.
12:30am Take a taxi to Asakusa. Tell the driver "Kaminarimon" and get dropped in front of a very large red gate which is the entrance to Sensoji, a large temple complex. Walk up through the mall of little shops around the main path. Check out the temple.
2:00pm Take a taxi to Nakaokachimachi Station (your legs will probably appreciate the rest), board Yamanote Line, and ride to Shibuya.
2:30pm Get out and take a look at Tokyo's "Times Square". Find Hachiko, a statue of a devoted dog who kept coming back to meet his owner not knowing that his owner had died. Walk around and check out some shops. Your feet are aching, so find a massage place and get a great Chinese foot massage - a little painful but very effective. If you are really sporting, stop at a Karaoke place and do an hour of karaoke in your own room.
Dinner Head to a place east of Shibuya called Gyosantei. Traditional Japanese from Miyazaki Prefecture. A map to the restaurant is here - you can give it to a taxi driver and he will take you there.

http://map.yahoo.co.jp/pl?lat=35%2F39%2F23.58&lon=139%2F42%2F28.767&layer=1&ac=13113&p=%C5%EC%B5%FE%C5%D4%BD%C2%C3%AB%B6%E8%BD%C2%C3%AB2-19-21&mode=map&size=s&sc=3

Great food. If you are still feeling like hanging out after dinner Shibuya is full of fun clubs. You can hit an arcade (adults go to these too, in Japan) or find Bar, Isn't It or Gaspanic or something like that, where they will be able to speak English.

If you get lost anywhere, find a kadoban - a police box located usually on a large corner. Since there is almost no crime, police in Tokyo spend there time helping people find where they are going!

Have a great time!

If you can, even though it is not in this itinerary, also go to the top of a tall building to check out views of the city.

Answer 2

Some ideas:

- For an inexpensive day out, start in Shibuya and follow the Yamanote Line north to Shinjuku on foot. Depending on your exact route you can pass through the good parts of Shibuya, Yoyogi Park (awesome on Sundays when all the teenaged freaks hang out there), Harajuku, the Meiji Shrine, and Yoyogi. Then, when you get to Shinjuku, go up the Metropolitan Government Building and check out the city. If you still have energy you can walk a bit farther to Okubo and get good Korean food.

- Another good walk for a day is to go from Akihabara to Shinjuku... you pass through Jimbocho (famous bookstore district), Yasukuni Shrine (pretty spectacular, and I hear the war museum is amusing), then gradually find yourself in the nightlife districts of Shinjuku.

- JR sells a special ticket that gives you unlimited rides on the Yamanote Line (the loop line around Tokyo) for one day. I think it's about 700 yen. With that ticket you can just ride around the city from dawn until midnight, visiting many of the famous areas (Shibuya, Shinjuku, Akihabara, Ebisu, Ueno, etc.) at your own pace.

- Everyone says to go to Tsukiji early in the morning... that's just so you can see the fish auctions. If all you want is good sushi, you can go there any time (many of the restaurants are open 24 hours), and there will be fewer tourists during the evening hours.

- Generally, eat whatever you see. Tokyo has no shortage of awesome restaurants, and the best way to find them is to just poke around at random. If you want something ritzy, look in department stores or skyscrapers; if you want something really cheap, go to a convenience store (they have good stuff there).

Answer 3

If you are in Tokyo for a week, it might be a good idea to head out of town for at least one day.

Kamakura is realitvely close, less than an hour on the JR Yokosuka line from Shinagawa. Lots of temples and a large bronze buddah. You can stop off in Yokohama on the way back and look at the spectacular night view in Minato Mirai (take the JR Kehin line 1 stop from Yokohama to Sakuragicho).

In Tokyo, I would recommend
Asakusa (on the Asakusa or Ginza subway lines)
Meiji-jingu (Harajuku station on the JR Yamanote line or Meiji-Jingu-mae on the Chiyoda subway line)
Ueno park (Ueno on the JR Yamanote line) lots of museums and a zoo.

Most of the above will close at 4:30/5pm so you can spend the evening checking out restaurants, bars and shopping. Most shops will be open late. Head to Shinjuku East exit, Shibuya Hachiko exit, Harajuku,......

Answer 4

The subway system is very convenient so you'll have no problems.

The Tokyo Tower is cool. That could be your morning trip.
The Emperor's Palace near the main Tokyo station is also worth a visit.
Then I suggest you do some browsing in Shibuya/Shinjuku. Both have lots of shopping and lots of restaurants.

Good luck and have fun.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

If you have a chance to go to Shinjuku, stop off in the Tokyo Metropolitan Govenment office.
There are an information desk at 1st floor, you can get a free map.
and also there are observation deck. It is free too.

The building is in the spitting distance of the "Tochomae" station of the Oedo line(Subway: blue in the map).

http://www.hotel-rosegarden.jp/en/images/eng_map.gif

Answer 7

Go to Harajuku/Yoyogi on a Sunday and see all the "fashion action". There's cosplay, visual-kei (I guess what Americans would call Goth?) lolita, greasers, and looks that defy description.etc. etc. Just get off at Yamanote-sen Harajuku station and Harajuku street is right there. From there you can walk to Yoyogi avenue and Yoyogi shrine.